by Steve Bradley
Number seven seed Hoosick Falls, along with Tamarac as the only Wasaren League teams competing in Class B, played number 10 seed Catskill Tuesday evening in the second game of a varsity doubleheader with the varsity girls playing the first game.[private]
The game went the Panthers way for three and one-half quarters. The Panthers got out to a four point lead by the end of the first, Alex Haynes contributed 6 of those points on two 3’s. When the second quarter came to an end, the Panthers held a 27-16 lead and things were going well.
The Panther defense held Catskill to eight points in each of the first two quarters. It was more of the same early in the third quarter, but after the five minute mark things began to change. Catskill started making shots they missed earlier in the game. They began to eat into the Panthers lead, slowly, but the lead kept getting smaller and smaller. When the third quarter ended, the Panthers held a 39-31 lead.
Then the fourth quarter started. Catskill kept hitting shots and all the momentum went to them. Midway through the fourth it was apparent the Panthers were in trouble. Numerous Panther turnovers didn’t help the Panther cause. With four minutes left in the game, Catskill seemed to make every shot, including foul shots, which they really did make almost every one. Catskill began to pull away from the Panthers and nothing the Panthers could do could stop them. Catskill scored 28 points in the fourth quarter, including making eight of eleven foul shots. Senior Alex Haynes scored 21 points, three-pointers accounting for 15 of those. Jon Kempf added 12 points, all on 3’s. Guy Milliman had nine, Evan McCart six, with Aaron Tomczak and CJ Baker added two each. Justice Brantley had 19 points for Catskill, including eight of ten foul shots. Brantley was five of six on foul shots in the fourth quarter.
Other Wasaren League teams competing: (2/17 play-in games) Tamarac lost to Coxsackie-Athens, 56-37, Cambridge defeated Waterford, 70-38, Spa Catholic defeated Galway 68-49. New Wasaren League member, beginning in 2017-18, Berlin, lost to Berne-Knox, 77-61 and Greenwich lost to Maple Hill, 53-46. (Scheduled Tuesday) #2 Stillwater def. #18 Berne-Knox, 80-64; #8 Hoosic Valley lost to #9 Canajoharie, 50-49; #13 Cambridge lost to #4 Lake George, 65-39; #11 Mechanicville def. #6 Mayfield, 53-47; #12 Spa Catholic lost to #5 Schoharie, 69-63. [/private]